1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to wagering games and methods and, more particularly, to wagering games and methods with a simultaneous multi-play feature.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the prior art, various types of gaming machines have been developed with different features to captivate and maintain player interest. In general, a gaming machine allows a player to play a game in exchange for a wager. Depending on the outcome of the game, the player may be entitled to an award which is paid to the player by the gaming machine, normally in the form of currency or game credits. Gaming machines may include flashing displays, lighted displays, or sound effects to capture a player's interest in a gaming device.
Another important feature of maintaining player interest in a gaming machine includes providing the player with many opportunities to win awards, such as cash or prizes. For example, in some slot machines, the display windows show more than one adjacent symbol on each reel, thereby allowing for multiple-line betting. Some gaming machines offer a player the opportunity to win millions of dollars by providing progressive jackpots. Additionally, feature games of various types have been employed to reward players above the amounts normally awarded on a standard game pay schedule. Generally, such feature games are triggered by predetermined events such as one or more appearances of certain combinations of indicia in a primary game. In order to stimulate interest, feature games are typically set to occur at a gaming machine on a statistical cycle based upon the number of primary game plays.
One example of a gaming machine with a simultaneous multi-play presentation is called the Totem gaming machine. In that example, three or more slot machines are stacked, one on top of the other. Upon the start of game play, each of the slot machines in the stack may spin its reels to determine a game outcome for each machine if a player has included a wager for each of the stacked slot machines. Each individual game outcome is evaluated against a pay table associated with that game and a payout is made according to the sum of any winning outcomes in the stack. One drawback to the Totem game is that the connection of multiple slot machine cabinets together creates an extremely large device that is expensive to construct and maintain.
Another example of a gaming machine with multi-play presentation is a multi-line gaming machine which may be a mechanical reel or video display style gaming machine. In these examples, the column-wise indicia are generally fixed in relation to each other. These and other examples in the prior art have been described to provide a player with more excitement. There continues to be a need for more innovative games and gaming machines to stimulate and excite players.